NYC Mayor Defends Surveillance Of Ethnic Groups

“I believe we should do what we have to do to keep us safe," Bloomberg says.

New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg responded Wednesday to allegations made in a recent AP report that the NYPD was spying on ethnic communities.

Bloomberg didn’t comment directly on the findings. He argued that the department’s actions were preemptive.

If there is a community where the crime rate is very high, to not put more cops in that community is ridiculous. If you want to look for cases of measles, you’ll find a lot more of them among young people. That’s not targeting young people to go see whether they have measles or not.

Bloomberg argued the Muslim community in New York would support more police.

“I think most Muslims want police protection. They don’t want their kids … falling off the … train and going down the wrong path,” he says.

Liz Leslie is a journalist based in Bloomington, Indiana. As an associate Web producer for WFIU, Liz maintains the Muslim Voices Twitter and Facebook as well as writes for the blog. She also contributes to Earth Eats.More posts by this author »